Do governments delay the implementation of parliamentary requests? Examining time variation in implementing legislative requests in Switzerland

This paper investigates time variations in the implementation of legislative requests by the Swiss government. Combining the literature on executive–legislative relations with findings from implementation research, we focus on the procedural level and argue that implementation delays can occur because the government does not want to, cannot or should not implement faster. We test these mechanisms using a unique database, which enables us to analyse a systematic collection of all legislative requests that have been approved between the parliament’s 2003 winter session and its 2018 spring session. Our results show that the considerable variation in the time needed for the legislative mandates’ implementation is mostly related to the Swiss government’s inability to transpose faster, i.e. to factors like highly busy administrative offices or complex and controversial issues. In contrast, there is no support for the ideas that the government “shall not” or “does not want to” transpose faster

How Does the Provision of Childcare Services Affect Mothers’ Employment Intentions? Empirical Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the provision of early childhood education and childcare services (ECEC) is associated with higher women’s participation in the labor market. However, many questions about the causal relationship between the supply of childcare and patterns of female employment remain open. In an effort to overcome common endogeneity problems, we conducted a conjoint experiment in Switzerland, which enables us to analyze mothers’ employment intentions in different – and even in some hypothetical – contexts. Our results demonstrate that improving the provision of ECEC services does affect mothers’ intentions to engage in paid labor. Nevertheless, mothers comprise a heterogeneous group. As expected, ECEC services’ effects are limited for mothers with comparatively high levels of employment. In contrast, mothers with low levels of employment are quite reactive to changing policy contexts, especially if external childcare spots for preschoolers become affordable. Notably, elasticity is present not only in the behavior of women with preferences for supplementary, external childcare, but also in that of women with preferences for parental or home-centered childcare. Our study thus highlights childcare policies’ potential to change the patterns of female employment in contexts marked by persistent traditional gender roles and limited childcare provision

Vereinbarkeitspolitik muss Väter und Mütter ansprechen

Werden Kinderbetreuungsmöglichkeiten ausgebaut, gehen mehr Frauen einer bezahlten Arbeit ausser Haus nach. Während dieser Zusammenhang schon oft belegt wurde, stellt sich weiterhin die Frage, ob Kinderbetreuungsmöglichkeiten auch dazu führen, dass Eltern weniger Probleme darin sehen, Erwerbsarbeit, Familie und Freizeit zu vereinbaren. Unsere Analysen zeigen auf, dass Kinderbetreuungseinrichtungen zwar mit einer egalitäreren Rollenteilung verbunden sind, aber nicht mit weniger Zeitkonflikten von Müttern und Vätern einhergehen. Viel eher zeigt sich sogar, dass Väter eine egalitäre Aufgabenteilung als komplexer und stressiger wahrnehmen als eine traditionelle Aufgabenteilung

Perceiving Reconciliation: Child Care Policies and Gendered Time Conflicts

In recent decades, many studies have examined gender-related differences in paid employment and the reconciliation of family and employment. Considering perceptions of time conflicts with regards to work at home and leisure activities, this article contributes to a more encompassing understanding of attitudes toward reconciliation problems. Special attention is given to the role of external child care services. The use of an original data set from 60 Swiss municipalities and hierarchical multiresponse regression models enable an analysis of the various aspects of time conflicts simultaneously, and a consideration of how different policy contexts shape these attitudes. This study provides evidence that the communal provision of external child care is related to gender-specific perceptions of time conflicts. Most interestingly, men seem to be affected most strongly by communal policy conditions, whereby the provision of external child care is related to systematically higher levels of time conflicts

Labour market policy preferences in the context of migration

In our chapter, we discuss and test potential impacts of migration on individual preferences regarding labour market policies in Europe. We thereby assume that rising immigration may prompt changes in notions about how labour market policies should cope with the concurrent risks perceived by individuals. More specifically, we ask whether and how far increased immigration promotes individual preferences for shifting public efforts from passive to active labour market policies. To test our assumption we apply a quantitative multilevel approach, this allows us to analyse individual and contextual determinants simultaneously. Our results show that the migration context does not generally affect labour market policy preferences of individuals, much rather such effects are contingent on an individual’s norms and justice beliefs

How individuals perceive reconciliation problems the role of childcare policies

Recent decades have seen a growing bulk of studies regarding gender related differences in paid employment and the role of childcare policies to facilitate reconciliation of family and work duties. Much less attention has been paid to gender-specific perceptions of reconciliation problems as well as time restrictions not only regarding employment and care duties, but also with respect to housework and social activities. Considering reconciliation problems between these different spheres of life, the paper contributes to an encompassing understanding of time conflicts and related gender inequalities. Special attention is given to the effects of child care services. We thereby distinguish between direct structural, indirect structural and normative/symbolic policy effects. Empirically, the proposed paper is based on individual level data from 60 Swiss communes. This data set is expanded by original data on communal child care supply. Applying hierarchical multinomial regression models allows us to analyze various perceptions of time restrictions simultaneously and to consider how different communal contexts shape these attitudes. The paper fits very well in the general theme of the workshop, since it departs from the idea that a specific policy will not only alter the material and social conditions of social groups, but also shape citizens attitudes and perceptions. It takes up several ideas and approaches mentioned in the workshop outline. First, it focuses on a policy area, in which policy feedback is very probable, but potentially also difficult to identify. Second and relatedly, integrating direct and indirect, but also structural and normative policy effects may help considering specific mechanisms behind potential feedback effects. Finally, measuring (causal) policy effects is inherently difficult. This is particularly true in decentralized countries, where policy implementation may differ a lot at the regional level. Our novel local policy data provides important advantages by capturing potential policy effects where they actually happen